Beginning Excel Tech Workshop Fall 2016 Customizing the Ribbon Excel comes with many built in functions and tabs. If you want to customize what appears on your ribbon, you can do so by going to File --> Options --> Customize Ribbon. From this screen, you can check the boxes of the preset ribbon tabs you would like to see, remove the ones you do not want to see, and rearrange the tabs to better fit your needs. Additionally, you can create your own customized tab by selecting New Tab. Additionally, if you ever need to install an Excel expansion or an additional Toolpak, you will do so by going to Add-Ins in the Options pop out window. There you will find all available add-ins on your computer. To add in other packs, select the type of add-in you want to include from the drop-down list and press Go. This will create a new, smaller pop-out window. Select the additives you want to include and click OK.
Absolute/Relative Cell Referencing If you are using Excel cell references within your formulas, it is important to understand how these can change when they are copied or moved into different cells of a worksheet. There are two types of cell references in Excel, which behave differently when dragged/moved into different spreadsheet cells. Relative References: Relative references are adjusted when copied to other cells. For example, if we have a reference to cell E1 in cell A1: When copied into the columns B and C, the reference to cell E1 adjusts to reference cells in columns F and G. When copied from row 1 into the row 2 and the 3, the reference to cell E1 adjusts to reference cells in rows 2 and 3. Absolute References: Absolute references remain constant when copied to others cells. We use the $ symbol before a column and/or row reference, to make a cell reference absolute. When we reference $E$1 in cell A1, if we copy it to cells A1-C3, the reference remains constant. It is possible to mix absolute and relative references together depending on the direction you are moving your equation and if the reference is shifting. Linking between Worksheets Excel allows for cell references to be anywhere within a workbook, even on different sheets. When typing an equation, you can either use your cursor to select a cell to reference or manually type the cells coordinates. For references on the same sheet, the format is: Column Letter Row Number i.e., A1 For references on different sheets, the format is: Sheet Name! Column Letter Row Number i.e., Sheet1!A1
Basic Formulas and Functions Arguments must be enclosed in parentheses. Individual values or cell references inside the parentheses are separated by either colons or commas. Colons create a reference to a range of cells. For example, =AVERAGE(E19:E23) would calculate the average of the cell range E19 through E23. Commas separate individual values, cell references, and cell ranges in parentheses. If there is more than one argument, you must separate each argument by a comma. For example, =COUNT(C6:C14,C19:C23,C28) will count all the cells in the three arguments that are included in parentheses. Important Functions: SUM: The SUM function takes a list or range of inputs and returns the sum =SUM(value 1, value 2) AVERAGE: The AVERAGE function takes a list or range of inputs and returns the average =AVERAGE(value 1, value 2) COUNT: The COUNT function takes a list or range of inputs and returns the number of cells with numerical values. =COUNT(value 1, value 2) COUNTA: The COUNTA function takes a list or range of inputs and returns the number of cells with a value of any type. =COUNTA(value 1, value 2) IF: The IF function takes three inputs, a condition, an if-true expression, and an if-false expression. The IF function will evaluate the condition, and if true, return the if-true expression, and if false, will return the if-false expression. =IF(condition, if-true statement, if-false statement) CONCATENATE: The CONCATENATE function takes a list of strings/text and combines them into one longer string/text. =CONCATENATE(String 1, String 2)
Formatting as a Table Formatting data as a table can make it easier to sort and filter data. Filtering temporarily hides data from view it does not delete data. This can be helpful when dealing with large quantities of information. To format your data as a table: Highlight the data you wish to include. Click the Insert tab on the ribbon and select Table. Select My Table has Headers if appropriate. Click OK. You can now easily filter and sort data without worrying about losing or changing any data. To convert your table back to range a data range: Click on any cell in your table to access the Table Tools tab. From the Table Tools tab select Convert to Range. Filtering and Sorting Data in a Table Filtering and sorting the data in your table is a great way to organize the data or look at only a subsection of the data without losing any information. Click on the small arrow next to the column title in your table to filter/sort data. Filtering your data: Click on the small arrow in the column title. Only select desired data to be displayed. Sorting your data: Click the small arrow in the column title. Select appropriate sort option (i.e., largest to smallest)
Freezing Rows and Columns You can freeze rows to keep information visible at all times. This is particularly useful when you have a large set of data and you want the row and column headers to stay at the top of your data while scrolling. Being by selecting the row below the row you want to freeze or the column to the right of the columns you want to freeze. From the View tab, select Freeze Panes. o Select the appropriate action. To un-freeze, go back to the View tab, click Freeze Panes and select Unfreeze Panes.
Conditional Formatting Conditional formatting is used to enhance reports and dashboards by dynamically changing the formatting of a value, cell, or range or cells based on defined conditions. This adds a level of visualization that enables split-second determinations. To use Conditional Formatting: Highlight the data you wish to format. From the Home tab, select Conditional Formatting. o Conditional formatting only works with numerical data, such as test scores. Do not format averages, percentages, and text. You can use Conditional Formatting to apply Data Bars, Color Scales, and Icon Sets: o DATA BARS: Creates a mini chart with selected cells. o COLOR SCALES: Fills cells with color varying in scale based on the value in each cell relative to other formatted cells. o ICON SETS: Symbols that are inserted in each cell you are formatting based on the value in each cell relative to other formatted cells. o HIGHLIGHT CELLS RULES: Highlights cells that meet a specified condition (greater than, less than, equal to). o TOP/BOTTOM RULES: Highlights cells that are in the specified range (top 10%, bottom 10%).
Printing your Worksheet Formatting your worksheet for printing can be done from Page Layout while working on the document, as well as by selecting the Print option on the File tab. Formatting from the Page Layout tab: o Set Margins and Orientation to find the best fit for data. Decreasing margins allows for more data on one page. Using Landscape orientation often allows for more data on one page. o Print Titles select either the rows or columns you want to have repeated on every page of the printout, and press OK. Formatting from the File tab: o Select Print from the menu on the left. Show Print Preview shows a preview of what will be printed. Print Active Sheets print part or all of your worksheet. Change Portrait Orientation to landscape to help maximize space. Margins adjust them to fit more of your worksheet on your page. Scaling adjust to fit more content on page. Page Setup access more options including: adding a Header/Footer, printing gridlines, printing titles, and changing the page order.